Two-Way Royal Video Poker Strategy Explained

A number of Playtech-powered online casinos have a variation of Jacks or Better video poker that's called Two-Way Royal. The best available paytable with this game is a 6/5 distribution, meaning that a full house gives a 6x payout while a flush gives a 5x payout. As far as the payout table goes, this game is much like Jacks or Better, but there is a special hand called a Lo Royal Flush that you can get for having the Two, Three, Four, Five and Six all of the same suit. This change in the rules changes the strategy for this game. If you play perfectly in 6/5 Two-Way Royal video poker, then you can get a payout percentage of about 99.800 percent.

There are a few pieces of strategy advice that alone can get you a payout rate of over 98 or 98.5 percent even without playing perfectly otherwise. The first principle that you need to keep in mind is that four to a royal flush, either high or low, is stronger than a made straight, flush or full house. Along similar lines, the second principle you'll have to keep in mind is that four to a straight flush is better than a high pair or even two pair. Third, three to a royal flush, either high or low, is a better draw than four to a regular flush or straight, and it's also better than keeping a single pair of Tens or worse.

These three principles will help you to play perfectly in the types of situations that casual players consistently misplay. For an example, suppose you are given the As Ac Ks Js Ts as your starting hand. Even though you have a pair of Aces for a guaranteed payout, you should discard the Ace of Clubs and draw to the royal flush. You'll have chances to draw to a flush with four outs to a gutshot straight draw, and you'll have several ways to make a high pair with your draw. This play makes more money on average than keeping both of the Aces.

Two-Way Royal video poker allows you to give the house a very small advantage in a fun game where you can employ a lot of strategy to maximize your chances of winning. This is the type of game that strategic players love, and it is great for playing with bonuses and other promotions at Playtech casinos.